This plain Shenandoah Valley brick farmhouse is a relic of the early German Baptist Brethren, or Dunkers, known originally in the area of the Rockingham County town of Broadway as the Society of Tunkers, who opposed the use of churches and held their religious services in selected homes. The Tunker House was erected between 1802 and 1806 for Benjamin Yount, who outfitted the front portion of the first floor with hinged partitions that could be raised to accommodate religious gatherings. Yount’s daughter was the wife of Peter Nead, a leading member of the Tunkers and author of Primitive Christianity, which served as the Brethren’s first theological work in English. Nead and his wife occupied her father’s house until 1839. Although The Tunker House is now a private residence, the hinged partitions of this combination church-home remain in place.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia